Memories of migration and work: three German women in Brazil (1880-1920)

Abstract

The article explores the issue of women's work in the context of migratory movements in Brazil. The profile of three women of German origin who moved to Brazil in the 1880s and 1900s is analyzed: (i) Ina von Binzer, a young single woman who worked as a private teacher in the provinces of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; (ii) Therese Stutzer, who together with her husband and children settled as colonists in Blumenau; and (iii) Emilie Heinrichs, who with her husband became “pioneers” in Rio Grande do Sul, settling in a colony still covered by subtropical forest. Based on their published records, the aim is to give visibility to the different working practices of these women. Along the way, we examine aspects of the female role in the migratory process, their direct or indirect contribution to the economy of a predominantly patriarchal society, verifying the challenges, transformations and continuities of identity.